My name is Jordan Fontenello, and I want to work for you as your next District 3 Fillmore County Commissioner. I have lived and worked in Southeastern Minnesota for most of my life, and have been a resident of Fillmore County for more than 20 years. Together with my wife Rebecca (daughter of Duane and Kathy Mensink), and our son Aeric, we live in Greenleafton, a small community just south of Forestville State Park.
A condensed work: history. My first job was at Don’s IGA in Spring Valley. During my junior year of high school, I joined the Minnesota Army National Guard, completing Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. I then spent a year in Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston and Fort Bliss to become a Radiologic Technologist. After returning home to graduate, I worked at the Spring Valley Community Memorial Hospital as a Radiologic Technologist. I then accepted a position as a Radiologic Technologist at the Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., where I worked for eight years. While in Michigan, I also attended additional military training to be a Basic Combat Engineer/Floating Bridge Crewman. Upon returning to Fillmore County in 2000, I gained employment with EconoFoods where I was a front-end customer service supervisor, and then the frozen foods department manager. I next went to work for Walmart. In my 17-year career with the company, I have had many roles and responsibilities, including working as an optician, a customer service manager (CSM), support manager, merchandise supervisor, and front-end zone supervisor. I am currently a CSM at the Austin Walmart. While working for Walmart, I was also attending Rochester Community & Technical College and Winona State University in an effort to obtain a degree in chemistry.
Commissioners have overall responsibility for approving policies, procedures, and budgets in order to govern county operations. The work of a commissioner is driven by the needs of the people and businesses in the communities they serve. A commissioner is a facilitator – someone who works with government agencies for the people in order to best provide them the assistance, guidance, and opportunity to improve not only themselves but their families and communities.
By working with the public to bring forth solutions to issues and concerns in an honest and forthright manner, I am fully committed to representing this district and this county with honor, dignity, and integrity to the best of my ability. I want every single citizen to have the greatest possible chance of having their government work efficiently through my interactions with the many people, agencies, and organizations within the county, and especially by representing all of their interests fairly. Though I am a citizen just like you, being a commissioner is not about me – it is about representing your voice — it is about us working together to find solutions to problems as best we can.
An elected official is not supposed to make decisions based solely on what they want, but the needs and concerns of their constituency – it must be one of cooperation, communication, and compromise so that people’s lives are truly being improved. My underlying focus has always been one of helping people, whether by providing conscientious medical care, ensuring that our country was kept safe, or by working with the public as a professional customer service representative. I would be greatly honored to have the opportunity to improve our district and our county by ensuring that our local government is working in the best interests of the people, helping to create an environment where everyone can succeed to their fullest potential. I have the strength, vitality, fortitude, and will to carry out all of the rigorous duties that a county commissioner must fulfill. I am here to listen to you, hear your concerns, and discover what you need, because your voices deserve to be heard and represented honestly. I sincerely hope that I can count on your vote in the upcoming election so that as your commissioner, I may be able to help you accomplish your goals and achieve your greatest success. I thank you for your time, your support, and your vote.